Breaker of the Silence
by LittleBlueNightingale
Summary: After following her brother to Helms Deep, Astariel finds herself following Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli as they travel, as her life becomes increasingly complex, she finds she is able to find someone to trust, love and confide in. Even if she sees herself as an abomination. Legolas/OC. For all those who wanted more.
1. Chapter 1

**Haldir did not wish for his sister to ride with him to Helms Deep, for he knew that the battle would take the life of many elf and men. **

I followed my brother, my leader and my commander, to the doors of helms deep, and was among the first to call out with my horn. As we stepped through the wide gate and marched past ranks of children and old men, I realised that I was looking upon Thoeden's army. We stopped and again I steeled myself a glance toward where Théoden king was descending the steps. "How is this possible?" He murmured, Haldir stepped forward bowing.  
>"I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell, An alliance once existed between Elves and Men, Long ago we fought and died together. We come to honour that alliance." Simultaneously, with nothing but a briefly whispered 'turn' we twisted and stood to salute. In the awed silence that followed there was a pang of a snapping bow string, elfin and human eyes turned to face me, and Haldir grinned, I glared at the offending Bow in my hand, indeed, her battle worn string had snapped, and I groaned. Causing the tense silence to break.<p>

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><p>After the strings had been mended and friendships forged, I was introduced to the heir of Esildor, "My sister, Astariel, it was not my wish that she accompanied us."<br>"Astariel, breaker of the silence. You live up to your name, young elf." I almost smirked.  
>" She makes it her habit." Haldir replied.<br>"You were the elf who said that I should." I replied. Now it was Haldir's turn to smirk.

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><p>The dwarf Gimli stopped in his slaughtering, "Legolas! Two already!" we both turned and I saw Legolas grin<br>"I'm on seventeen!" he replied before turning back to face the fray.  
>"Twenty three." I murmured. Legolas stared. "If you're counting, twenty three."<br>"You count."  
>"Always Have." I replied.<br>"You're only I child, are you not, not yet 50?"  
>"37, this month." Yes, only a child<p>

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><p>"Togo hon dad, Legolas!" I glanced once, before ducking a blow from an Urukai Berserker. On the ground an Urukai rushed the wall, a flaming torch in his hand "Dago hon! Dago hon!" But it was too late, beneath my feet, the wall exploded and I was launched backward.<br>"Astariel!"  
>"Haldir!"<p>

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><p>"Nan Barad! Nan Barad! Haldir, nan Barad!" Ah sweet echoes of death, how soft the sound.<br>"Echuia Astariel." A voice, one I recognized swiftly as Legolas' sounded above my head, a flash of Pain in my stomach and I leapt upright, staring around wildly.  
>"Haldir!" I cried, knowing that the pain I felt was nothing compared to my brother. I raised my gaze to the battlement where Haldir stumbled backward.<br>"Haldir!" called Aragorn, and I saw him leap forward, I fought to join my brother, but Legolas' hand snared around my wrist.  
>"Baw! Im boe neledh" (No I must go to him) I cried, and collapsed to my knees as pain, the pain of an axe imbedded itself into my brother's spine. The world grew foggy, and then suddenly black. "Haldir…"<p>

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><p>Riding in front of Legolas, sorrowful, and relaxed against him, I was eyes and ears for the party as we rode to Isengard. I weighed almost nothing, so small and light that curled onto his lap, the horse beneath us could bear the weight of three My brother is dead, I have nothing left to live for, but perhaps I might yet find a shred of hope in the calm blue eyes of an elf who had refused to let me run foolishly to my death. Maybe there was something to live for.<p>

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><p><strong>Please, don't forget to comment, this is a one shot, but if you would like to see Astariel again, don't hesitate to ask.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**To tide over my hungry fans until I can pull myself together and write a more detailed story for Asta and Legolas, I wrote this a short-ish addition to my 'one-shot'. Enjoy my minions. Xx**

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><p>The war rages in the forefront of my mind, all I see are silhouettes, one side of this war is bathed in glowing white light, looking radiant and beautiful, the others are dripping with a black viscous substance, behind them, loom monstrous forms I can't even begin to describe. The white lights are beginning to be extinguished, and I'm surrounded by the darkness that drips from the shapes around me. I try screaming, all I can manage is a plaintive cry, shuddering as the black liquid leaches through my clothes, icy cold tendrils curling over my stomach, my throat…<p>

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><p>I shoot awake, startling both Aragorn and Legolas, who instantly abandons Aragorn's side and kneels beside me. <em>"Astariel…" <em>He says softly, hand on my shoulder, soothing me, although my hands still shake and my entire frame trembles from the cold of the dream, I feel reassured by the warmth radiating from him. White blonde hair tumbles in curls over my shoulders, quivering in response to the flush of hot and cold shivers running through me, hot because of the hand on my shoulder and everything it represents for me, cold because of what my dream implied.  
><em>"I'm fine…" <em>I mumble, not really believing what I was saying, Legolas doesn't believe me either, he takes the blanket he doesn't use from his pack and skilfully drapes it over my shoulder. I haven't slept a full night since Haldir was killed, these nightmares plagued me every night, and I'm lucky to get a few hours of rest before the sun reappears. His brows furrow and he looks at me, concerned, doubting what I've said, I take one look at those beautiful eyes flooded with worry and instantly give in.  
>"<em>I've had nightmares every night since Haldir was killed." <em>I finally admit, there's no use talking in the common tongue, Gimli is asleep, and everyone else speaks Sindarin. Theres a short silence, after which Aragorn looks at me.  
><em>"It's natural… after my mother died, my dreams weren't pleasant." <em>I lower my gaze, forgetting that everyone here has probably already lost someone dear to them, but, to all of elf kind I am still only a child. There's another pause and after a while, Gandalf gets to his feet and mutters before saying:  
>"Well, I think I shall go for a walk." He looked down at where Aragorn sat. "Join me, Aragorn." It was a request, but I sensed that Aragorn did not see it that way, or maybe he just knew better than to refuse. In a moment they had both left, and the only thing that disturbed the silence was Gimli's snores.<p>

We sit in silence for what feels like years, until I finally look up to see Legolas watching me, it's slightly unnerving, but I meet his gaze instead of looking away as I have before. He watches for almost a minute. _"You've always looked away before…" _He comments, brows furrowed slightly, moonlight catches on his hair.  
><em>"Now I'm not afraid."<br>_Now the look turns from bewilderment to alarm. _"Why were you afraid of me?" _He asks. It's my turn to furrow my brow.  
><em>"Not of you." <em>I reply, his held tilts ever so slightly to the side. _"I guess I was afraid to get close to you… everyone here considers me a child…"  
>"You're only 47…" <em>He replied softly.  
>My brows knit together, my age was always a problem. <em>"There's something I haven't told you, only my family knows, I'm only half-Elven, which means by the time I was twenty I could be counted as a woman and not a child."<em> Legolas now frowned, as if trying to work everything out. _"I'm Haldir's half sibling, a bastard child. my father, Haldir's father was already married when I was conceived to a human mother." _It had the reaction I expected, but not what I wanted. Legolas muttered a curse word and, instead of sitting and explaining, I got to my feet and stalked away from the fire, deciding now I should forget whatever thoughts I had previously had. Elves were never supposed to have an intimate relationship outside of their marriage, it was one of their most sacred laws, making me, the half-Elven bastard child of a married elf, an abomination.

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><p>I sit down on a lonely looking tree stump and ball up my fists in the tunic I wear. No elf would ever accept me among them, I would either be a child who had left her home, or a disgrace upon sacred customs. Most of all, I would never be able to cross to the Undying Lands…<p>

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><p>The sun rises, and I return to the place between two willows where we made camp, I don't take my eyes off the silvery coat of the horse I saddle, waiting until Legolas has left to restock our supply of water before my shoulder sag, the raging emotions of guilt that I felt from Haldir's death mixing with a sudden intense betrayal.<p>

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><p>I won't ride with him as we move on through the forest, I walk alongside the horse, a careful hold on it's reins, soothing it so it will stay calm. Have I made myself this outcast? The movement if trees and branches cover the sounds of light footsteps, but I hear them. To the left, moving along the branches of the trees. The click of metal on wood, and the scrape of an arrow being drawn back on it's bow. I move quickly, grabbing the horses reins and forcing them to the side, making the horse descend into a dip in the rocky floor. Legolas Gives a cry of alarm, or shock, and our eyes lock, his wide and panicked, mine confused, somethin's wrong, theres a warmth spreading down my front, and a dull ache, starting from my stomach and resonating through my body, I look down, see the shaft of an arrow, see blood staining my shirt. An arrow, an arrow that I have no doubt was meant to pierce Legolas' heart. Everything goes silent, I hear thumping, which I think is blood racing through my ears. I topple sideways the same time Legolas leaps from the horse's back, falling into oblivion.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**I am going to do a more in depth version of Legolas and Asta's relationship, but for now this will have to do. enjoy.**

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><p>I sleep more often then I wake, partly out of exhaustion from the arrow wound which drains me even as we get closer to help, it is also partly out of resignation. Somehow, I fooled myself into believing that Legolas wouldn't react to me the same way that other elves had, that he wouldn't think of me as the abomination that I was. Even though I've taken an arrow from him, we're still as distant as we were the days before the attack. The wound is not the only thing that is draining.<p>

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><p>Days are becoming blurred, more often than not; I awake to find that more than a day has gone since I last opened my eyes. I don't know why I sleep so long, why everything seems so desolate and hopeless. One of the times that I don't sleep, I'm sitting on the roots of an old tree, Aragorn came to talk to me again, but I don't know when that was. I barely remember it. I hear footsteps beside me, but don't bother looking up. The footsteps stop, directly behind me and I wait for something to be said. "Astariel…" I leap to my feet and turn around to face the Elf Prince, taking several steps back and looking at him. He frowns, looking suddenly apologetic as I wince; the sudden movement has pulled at my injury. "<em>I didn't mean to startle you." <em>I wonder briefly why he's switched to Sindarin, but then I realise that the only member of our group who is close enough to hear is Gimli, and he can not understand Sindarin. Gimli grumbles and moves away.  
>"<em>I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings." <em>I reply, a little stiffly, I notice I've balled my fists into my tunic, I want nothing more than to run now, to hide.  
>Legolas gives a half smile, a smile that still looks so sad, I watch as he moves, sitting elegantly on the log I just vacated. <em>"Astariel… I came to apologise…" <em>It's my turn to furrow my brow as I look at him, he seems more interested in his hands then he is in looking at me. _"I reacted… cruelly when you told me about your parentage and you still took an arrow for me."_ The tension melts from my soldiers and I look down at him, what can I say to this? I decide not to say anything and watch as he gets to his feet, he's taller than me, and I look up at him. "_For that, I'm sorry."  
><em>I find myself trying to blink away tears, wondering if he realises that nobody has ever apologised to reacting the same way, that no-one has even forgiven me for what I am. "_Nobody has ever said that to me…" _I say softly, blinking away the tears. _"You're the first." _ He smiles and steps forward, wiping the tears from where they've pooled under my eyes with his thumb.  
><em>"It was quite a shock…" <em>He drops his hand to his side. _"It is a sacred law."  
>"In my father's defence, he thought my mother was dead." <em>I grumble. Legolas frowns, intrigued. "_He'd come back to the encampment were my family was staying, it had been attacked… he believed them to be dead."  
>"Astariel, I'm sorry." <em>Legolas says again, true sadness and regret in his eyes. I nod.  
><em>"I know…. I forgive you."<em>

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><p>I'm not so forgiving once he's bullied me into eating a tasteless mix of berries and water softened grain, but he's adamant that I eat before we leave so I swallow down the concoction and ignore his triumphant and smug smile as Aragorn checks and rebandages the wound. I have much more energy today and sit with Legolas as we ride back to Edoras for the festivities. A three day journey had taken longer than expected as Aragorn and Legolas were unwilling to move me when I could stay conscious for only a little while. Now, we move on, to Edoras, I can't help thinking that, soon, the fate of man, elf and all other creatures would be decided.<p> 


End file.
